a. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to brushes, wipers and other scrubbing devices, particularly when those devices are attached to movable closures, particularly sliding doors or windows.
b. Description of the Prior Art
Some showers are provided with sliding shower door assemblies which generally include a pair of doors each slidable along its own, individual track. When the shower is used, these tracks tend to fill with a soapy water solution which leaves an unattractive and unsanitary residue, the removal of which is a time consuming and unpleasant job. This invention contemplates the use of a scrubbing device attached to the shower door to automatically clean the track as the door is opened and closed.
The simple attachment of a brush to a door or window is not new. For example, J. V. Westlund discloses, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,568,477, a door check including a brush made up of a number of spaced clusters of bristles coupled to the bottom edge of a swinging door. The brush is in frictional contact with the floor, which slows or checks the swinging motion of the door. It will be noted that the brushes of Westlund's device are not well adapted to clean the floor beneath the door due to the substantial separation between individual clusters of bristles.
P. Dobler, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,098,894, discloses a device for automatically holding doors, windows, etc. at a particular position. In its simplest form, Dobler's device consists of a first brush attached along an edge of the door or window and a second brush attached to the door or window frame in frictional contact with the first brush, where the friction created is great enough to maintain the door or window at a particular position. Once again, Dobler's device uses brushes as a friction type device that performs no cleaning function.
While other friction type uses of brushes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,493,032 of W. S. Brown, Jr., et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 3,600,857 of R. LaBarge, it does not appear that the prior art has contemplated the attachment of a brush or other scrubbing type device to a door or window so as to perform a cleaning operation during the normal opening and closing of the door or window.